Information: The job fair is hosted by Rep. Scott Tipton, Colorado Workforce Centers and will be attended by several local companies, including Vail Resorts. On August 27, Vail Resorts will also be hosting its own job fair in he Vail Marriott, non-7 p.m. To apply with VR online, go to http://jobs.vailresorts.com/.

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EDWARDS — Congressman Scott Tipton and the Colorado Workforce Center are teaming up with local employers for a job fair.

Among the companies is Vail Resorts, which is staffing up for the fast approaching ski season. The ski company will also be hosting its own job fair August 27 in the Vail Marriott, noon to 7 p.m.

The job fair is not a complicated process. People looking for jobs – whether they need one or not – talk to business looking for workers. It’s a little like speed dating, only you don’t have to pay an entry fee.

Vail Resorts, for example, is trying to fill 12,000 seasonal positions across its 10 U.S. resorts.

Also on hand for Wednesday’s job fair will be representatives from Colorado Workforce Centers in Edwards, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Leadville and Rifle.

“This job fair is a great chance for employers and job seekers to connect,” Tipton said. “I’m pleased to be able to work with the Colorado Workforce Centers to put together this event to provide a venue for people to find job opportunities.”

Tipton will begin meeting with local employers at around 9:30 a.m. The job fair opens at 11 a.m.

Improving job market

Job fairs don’t roll around all that often. It’s been two or three years since they’ve hosted one, said Mary Cunningham with the Colorado Workforce Center in Edwards. The last Scott Tipton job fair was in Glenwood Springs. That one drew almost two dozen employers and hundreds of applicants, Cunningham said.

Right now there are 22 employers on the list for Wednesday’s event. It might be limited to that because the room won’t hold many more, but even if an employer doesn’t get a table they’re more than welcome to come work the room and talk with applicants, Cunningham said.

They’ll have a wide range of jobs: ski areas, hotels, retail shops, coffee shops ... all kinds of jobs. They’ll also have some employers from Pitkin and Summit counties.

“We want to help as many people as we can,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham said the local job market seems to be improving little bit. “We’re not getting the foot traffic we were getting six months ago, which is good,” she said.

The unemployment rate for June in Colorado was 7 percent — the latest data available, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. The U.S. jobless rate was 7.6 percent, and Eagle County’s was 7.8 percent.

“That sounds high for Eagle County, but June 2012 was 9.8 percent,” Cunningham said.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Vail Resorts operates 10 ski resorts across the U.S., a retail division, a hospitality division and several other businesses.

“Seasonal employment is the backbone for offering the vast array of services we provide in order to offer an experience of a lifetime to our guests and our employees,” said Jen Brown, spokesperson for Beaver Creek, one of those 10 Vail Resorts properties.

The ski company needs to fill a variety of full and part time positions including ski instructors, lift operators, housekeepers, snowmakers, snowcat operators, food and beverage staff and many more, Brown said.

Benefits for Vail Resorts jobs include a ski pass and retail, rental and meal discounts. Pay for Vail Resorts jobs ranges from $10-$13 an hour for housekeepers in Keystone, to professional positions and the salaries that go with them. If a desk is more your style, Keystone is looking for a full time vacation coordinator.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in June the West continued to have the highest regional unemployment rate, 7.8 percent. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states had increases, while six states had no change.